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Forget about thin ice. For now, the surface isn't ready.

As NHL athletes gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the first time in more than a decade, construction on the main hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Local organizers announced on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been relocated to a more compact arena – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.

The issue raises the prospect that there may not be a match held in the primary venue until the puck is dropped for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the inaugural event.

“It’s going to be very close to the beginning of the games, the schedule is highly compressed. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The event that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being established inside a massive convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will host lesser games during the games.

Typically, new Olympic venues are tested at least the prior year to hosting podium competitions. And with a large hockey venue, it’s not only about the playing surface and making sure that the playing surface is ready and secure. It’s additionally about checking concession stands, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new contemporary stadium.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a private company, is slated to become the nation's biggest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential future host of the ATP Finals tennis event.

Despite the postponements and concerns, high-priced passes are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men’s gold medal game on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Only tickets for the inaugural and final events cost more.

The return of NHL stars at the Olympics was revealed in February of last year, with the world’s top hockey league permitting its athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

The men’s Olympic hockey competition is set to run from 11-22 February. The women’s tournament occurs from 5-19 February.